Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
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Light as a Feather
I first learned this game while at a slumber party.
This game is best played in the dark with 2 or more
people.
One person lies in the middle of the floor on his/her
back with their arms at their sides, as if in a
coffin. The remaining people gather around the person
lying on the floor and place their index fingers
under them as if they were going to pick them up.
One of the people gathered around begins to tell a
story in which the person lying down has died. The
person lying down is supposed to concentrate very
hard and imagine their own death and dying. The
object is to get the person to concentrate so hard
that they "leave their body" and the people around
the person should be able to pick them up off
the floor with their index fingers. This should be
able to be done since the person left their body,
making it lighter.
Submitter comment:
My informant said that while she was playing it
didn't work, although someone she knew tried it
and it worked.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Special Object or Implement |
Date learned: 00001979 ca
EASTER CUSTOM
IT IS A LONG, TRADITIONAL CEREMONY IN MY FAMILY, WHICH IS ITALIAN,
TO ASK THE BLESSING OF ALL OLDER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY ON EASTER
SUNDAY. THE FAMILY LINES UP ACCORDING TO AGE, AND THEN EACH
INDIVIDUAL, AS HIS TURN APPROACHES, KISSES THE HAND AND ASKS THE
BLESSING OF THE PEOPLE OLDER THAN HIM. HE THEN TAKES HIS PLACE IN
LINE, WITH THOSE YOUNGER THEN ( THAN ) HIMSELF DOING THE SAME, AND
ON DOWN THE LINE UNTIL THE END.
Submitter comment:
THIS HAS BEEN PRACTICED BY MY FAMILY EVERY EASTER SUNDAY FOR AS LONG
AS I CAN REMEMBER. IT IS CONSIDERED THE TIME FOR FORGIVING ALL SINS.
AND FORGETTING ALL DISAGREEMENTS.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Spring Planting Easter Sunday BELIEF -- Prayer |
EASTER CUSTOM
THE POLES INCLUDE THE MONDAY AFTER EASTER AS A PART OF THEIR EASTER
OBSERVANCE. ON "DYNGUS" THE BOYS UNDER TWENTY-ONE SQUIRT GIRLS WITH
WATER UNTIL THEY RECEIVE A "PISANKA", WHICH IS AN ARTISTICALLY
DECORATED EASTER EGG.
Submitter comment:
THE INFORMANT TOLD ME THAT WHEN HER DAUGHTERS WERE GROWING UP IN
THIS COUNTRY SHE WOULD HAVE TO BRIBE THE BOYS WITH MONEY WHEN THEY
WOULD COME AROUND ON "DYNGUS" SO THEY WOULDN'T SQUIRT HER DAUGHTERS
WITH WATER.
Data entry tech comment:
DYNGUS MEANS "RANSOM" IN POLISH.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): DYNGUS DAY
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Spring Planting Easter Monday Dyngus |
Date learned: 02-07-1971
TOMMY, FREEDOM IS IN YOUR HOME.
Submitter comment:
POLISH: WOLNOSC TOMKU
W SWOJEM DOMKU.
THE NAME TOMMY IS USED IN THIS PROVERB BECAUSE IT RHYMES
WITH HOME. TOMMY REPRESENTS ANYONE.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): POLISH EQUIVALENT OF "A MAN'S HOME IS HIS CASTLE." ; THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS PROVERB, WHICH IS THE
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Proverb Proverb |
Date learned: 02-07-1971
EASTER CUSTOM
ON EASTER SUNDAY, POLISH VILLAGERS WOULD SPRINKLE EVERY ROOM IN THEIR
HOUSE WITH HOLY WATER--INCLUDING THE STABLE AND BARN--AS PROTECTION
FROM FIRE, LIGHTENING, OR OTHER MISFORTUNE.
Submitter comment: INFORMANT STILL PRACTICES THIS CUSTOM IN HER HOME.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): WATER
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Spring Planting Easter Sunday BELIEF -- Lightning Thunder BELIEF -- Fire |
Date learned: 02-07-1971
Running Bases
This is a game that is played with three of four
people. You need a baseball or softball and two
baseball gloves.
Two catchers stand about 25 to 30 feet apart and
throw the ball to each other. While the ball is
being thrown the runner(s) stand by one of the
catchers. The sidewalk crack where the catcher is
standing is called the base. While the ball is in
the air the runners try to reach the opposite base.
There can't be two runners on the same base so they
must plan when the other is going to go. If either
catcher has the ball in his/her possession and
touches one of the runners while they have both feet
off the base that runner has an out. Once a runner
has three outs he/she switches to being the catcher.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Special Object or Implement |
Date learned: 00001979 ca
Friendship pins
These pins are given to a friend to show your
friendship for each other.
What you need is a safety pin and some small colored
beads.
To make these all you have to do is put the beads
on the safety pin and close the pin. You can use
any color or as many beads as can fit on the pin.
When you receive one of these it is worn, pinned,
to the upper part of the shoelace.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Dress HandsFeet |
Date learned: 00001981 ca
Fruit soup
I was told about this very old Polish dish by my
father, who was told about it by his mother. This
is a dish that is only served on Christmas and
under no condition anytime else. The dish is called
fruit soup. As you can guess it is made from fruit.
When it was made no set amounts of ingredients were
ever written down. It was all by inspection. The list
of ingredients are as follows.
freeze dried apples
freeze dried plums
freeze dried apricots
freeze dried bananas
freeze dried pears
freeze dried oranges
freeze dried kiwi
prunes
prune juice
mushroom juice
All the fruits are freeze dried because if they weren't
the soup would be too sweet-- the same reason why the
prunes, prune juice, and mushroom juice are added.
As an after note. I've tasted this soup only once and
it was once too often.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Mixed preparation in liquid Food Drink -- Plant food Fruit |
Perdiddle
This game my sister taught me while we were driving
home from my grandparents' house.
The game is called perdiddle and anyone in the car can
play. Usually it is played with two people, a boyfriend
and a girlfriend. When a person sees a car with one
headlight on they call out "perdiddle" and hit the roof
of the car with their hand. The person who calls out
first and hits the roof first gets the point. These are
the rules for a group game. However, if it is just
between a boyfriend and a girlfriend then the person
who calls "perdiddle" and hits the roof first gets the
point, but the point in this case is usually a kiss.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Game Pastime CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
SIGNATURE, PROSE
"YOURS TILL RUSSIA GETS HUNGRY AND EATS TURKEY ON CHINA."
Submitter comment: THIS WAS WRITTEN IN MY AUTOGRAPH BOOK OF 1963
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): COUNTRY ; PROMISE ; PUN
James Callow Keyword(s): CINIAWARE ; PUN ON HUNGARY
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Autograph Verse Humorous allusion to love |
This is a dinner prayer my sister taught me, that our
family still uses today.
God, thank you for the food we eat.
God, thank you for the birds that sing.
God, thank you for everything.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
James Callow Keyword(s): INITIAL ITERATION
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief Belief CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Eating For menu, see N222. BELIEF -- Prayer |
Date learned: 00001975 CA
This was a game or sometimes punishment that my
father learned in the army. Actually it would
prove how strong you are in muscle endurance. The
object was to hold an empty bucket in each hand, then
extend your arms out from you, forming a cross. In
a short time your arms would begin to throb from the
weight of the empty buckets. It was said to me that
if you came back in about 15 minutes you could
actually see the person leaning over from the weight.
As I said this was sometimes a punishment that the
Drill Sergeant would use if someone made a mistake
in doing their drills.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- F535 |
My sister taught me to put my finger on a screw as we
drove over a set of railroad tracks. This was so you
could get any wish of your choice. The only condition
to this was that you had to be touching the metal
part of the screw.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Prayer SPEECH -- Gesture |
Date learned: 00001977 ca
Whenever my sister and I were driving in the car she
would always hold her breath and pick up her feet
as we drove by a cemetery. Finally I asked why she did
this and her response was that if you didn't the
spirits of all the dead people would haunt you forever.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Ghost Spirit Phantom Specter BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Thumper
This is a drinking game that my sister taught me.
In order to play there must be at least 7 people,
actually the more the better. Another requirement
is that all the people must have at least a good
"buzz." This makes the game all the better.
Everyone should sit around a table with a glass of
whatever they are drinking. Now comes the fun part.
The rules of the game are not very difficult under
normal conditions. One person is chosen to be the
leader. Everyone playing has a certain sign or
symbol. These signs are usually a hand gesture or
a combination of hand gestures. The players then
go around the table to review the signs before the
game starts just to make sure they understand them.
The leader then calls the start of the game, does
their ( his or her) sign first, then another player's
sign. This other player does their sign first,
then another person's. This goes on like this in
any order until a person forgets their sign, does
a wrong sign, or signs in the wrong order. As the game
progresses the pace gradually gets to a point where
it is very fast. This all sounds easy but it can become
very confusing. I'll give an example of how it's
played with the exception of some words since they
are not appropriate. All of this is said at the top
of your lungs.
Leader: What's the name of the game?
All: Thumper!
Leader: How do you play?
All: Dirty!
Leader: How dirty?
All: #!?%'n Dirty!
Leader: (their sign ... then a player's sign)
Player: (their sign ... then a player's sign)
This goes on until someone makes a mistake then that
player must take a drink. A last note is that a player
can also pass back to the leader. This is actually
quite a fun game to watch to see everyone make fools
out of themselves.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Bodily Activity Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Memory SPEECH -- Gesture |
This is an expression I was told about in one of my
history classes. The saying...
"Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and
nuclear war"... came from a scientist who witnessed
the destruction from the first Atom Bomb.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Human Being PROVERB -- Proverbial Metaphor PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
DON'T GIVE A FRIEND A PAIR OF
SCISSORS OR A KNIFE AS A GIFT, IT
WILL CUT THE RELATIONSHIP.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Date learned: 02-00-1984
Marco Polo
Game. The game called "Marco Polo" may only be played in a
swimming pool or lake. There can be as few as two participants or
as many as you wish. There is one person designated as "it." This
person must turn and spin under water and emerge above water with
eyes closed. The purpose of this act is to disorient the "it"
person and allow the other participants to seek new spots in the
water. "It" begins shouting "Marco" with the participants
answering, "Polo." The "it" person listens for voices close by and
begins waving his/her arms and moving about trying to seek one of
the participants. All the time "it" is shouting "Marco" and
receiving answers of "Polo." This continues until "it" touches one
of the participants, who then becomes "it." Should one of the
participants ever leave the water, all other participants are to
report this by shouting, "Fish out of water." Should there be a
fish out of water, he/she automatically becomes "it."
Submitter comment:
I inquired as to why anyone would leave the water to become a
"fish out of water" and was informed that it was generally because
the "it" person was very close to tagging them, or they had to go
to the bathroom.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ROSEVILLE ; Neighborhood children
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Water Ice Snow |
Date learned: 00001970S
Butter
Someone picks a yellow dandelion flower and places it under
someone's chin. If their chin showed yellow, they liked butter; if
it did not, they did not like butter. After this was established,
the head of the dandelion was popped off into the person's face.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ROSEVILLE ; Neighborhood children
James Callow Keyword(s): DIVINATION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Color |
Date learned: 00001950S
When I was little my mother used to say that while
I was making a face at my sister it would get stuck
that way forever, because God was watching and He
didn't make faces to do that !
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN